In honor of Memorial Day, we’re re-publishing an article from May 19, 2014, called “Fall, Run, Stop.” It’s a WWII experience shared by Brother Lou Pietrangelo and taken from the Church History Vol. 2.

After being trained on B-29 aircraft, I flew overseas to the Pacific Theater to a U.S. air base on a small island called Tinian, about 1,500 miles off of Japan’s main island. One evening while preparing for flight takeoff (one per minute), as we waited in our positions to get on the runway, I decided to write a letter to my mother.

As I began to write, a feeling came over me to look up, and as my eyes looked upward, I saw one of the planes which had just lifted and was airborne about 200 feet in the air. All of a sudden, from one of the engines burst a dark cloud of smoke, and the plane dipped and started to come down toward me. At this point I got upon my feet and started to run and pray, asking God to spare my life that I might go home to my family.

The next thing I knew, a voice spoke to me saying, “Fall down!” There was a tremendous explosion, and then the voice told me, “Run!” Out of the dust and smoke, the voice spoke to me once more and told me, “Stop!” and as I stopped, an aircraft engine came flying just over my head, crashing to the ground just in front of me.

I don’t remember much after that. They found me on the other side of the island, about one mile away, and I was hospitalized for observation. I found out later that, of 30 crewmen, I was the only one to come out alive. God had surely answered my prayers.

We’d like to say thank you to all military servicemembers and their families today! May God bless and keep you and provide all your needs.

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This article has undergone ministry review and approval.